Chapter Twenty: Precious Ransom
The fluorescent lights glared in the kitchen. Duo's knuckles were white with strain as he held a coffee cup in his death tight grip. "She's in trouble, really bad trouble, I can feel it. I. . .I can't explain it."
The rest of the pilots sat around the kitchen table they once sat at earlier that day. Fortune sat looking at the floor. She opened and closed her mouth several times, as if testing the words she were to say.
"I. . I think she's okay. She's alive."
Duo swung around at Fortune, violet eyes brimming with fire and hate. "She went because of you. I knew it. You were in cahoots with Trieze Khushrenada. She went to kill him I think, and failed. How could you let her go? How could you!"
"Duo, how could I not! She threatened to kill me with her bare hands. I have seen her do it! I didn't mean to have her captured, killed, or worse. You know damn welled I didn't mean it."
"That doesn't matter anymore." Quatre's quiet voice interjected and stopped the potential fight from erupting. "Now, our only priority is to get her back." He turned to Fortune. "As for you, we don't care what happened between you and Trieze. That is all in the past." His gaze softened and he caressed the top of her hair. "Now, it's time to only look into the future."
Fortune looked up at him and smiled. "You're right. We have to find where she is and how to get her back."
Suddenly, a phone ring reverberated through the safehouse, startling all the pilots. The nervously looked at each other. That hadn't rang since the scientists last checked up on them, four maybe five weeks ago. The all filed out to the hangar where the only phone and comlink in the safehouse was.
Heero picked it up, with the rest of them huddled loosely behind him. "This is OZ checkpoint Omega-385. What is you status."
A rich deep-throated chuckle sounded through the hangar, giving everyone a chill. "Oh my. . .I never knew you were so clever. Oz checkpoint indeed. This is Trieze Khushrenada, leader and general of the OZ armies."
Quatre's face paled. Duo sucked in a breath. Heero's eyebrows furrowed and a slight tremor went through the perfect solider.
"Oh, please, may I have a visual? I would just love to see the faces of my most respected enemies. . ."
Heero glanced at the group for a decision. Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei nodded silently at him. Heero pressed the button and the console lit up and came to life.
There was a man with the palest skin any of them had seen. His eyes were a crystal glass blue, save for a slight redness. His hair was in a disarray. He smiled slightly, the very outside corners of his mouth up turned.
"Ah, for the first time, I can have faces with the gundams." His eyes seemed to look at each of them, scrutinizing. His gaze rested on Fortune. "Fortune, my dear. How are you doing? Your life faring well?"
Fortune turned her head. "Yes, thank you for asking."
His eyes narrowed as Trieze's voice lowered. "Oh yes. I miss you oh so much. . . .My bed has be so empty, so cold. . ."
"Quiet."
Everyone turned to see Quatre. Bright red and trembling with anger. "How dare you talk to her in that way, like she was a common streetwalker or slave girl for your personal enjoyment." He put a protective arm around her shoulders and gently squeezed. "If she's anybody's, she's mine." The last two words came out in a defensive growl.
Trieze's face clouded in slight disappointment, then lightened. "Very well. Makes no difference to me. . .Follow in your mother's footsteps, eh, Fortune?"
Fortune went pale and sickly gray.
Trieze waved a hand in the air. "No matter. Besides, I have something more pressing to talk to your Gundam pilots about. I have something here you might be interested in. . ."
He half turned out of the screen's range and they saw her. She was still in her black cockpit suit. She seemed to be tied to the chair she sat in. Her normally dark brown skin was ashen and dotted with sweat. Her head lolled about drunkenly. A gash traced it way across her eyebrow.
Duo's eye glittered murderously. "You let her go, Trieze, or so help me. . ."
"What? You're going to kill me? The one who I most cared about it dead, killed by this woman here, so why don't I kill her, Maxwell? The one you care the most about? This is my demand. Come here to my stronghold in Madagascar in three days. Bring only your lovely bodies, and your gundams. Hand them over and I will return her safe and sound. If not. . .she dies. It's your call."
The comlink went dead.
They all stood silent, in the darkened hangar.
"Now, what Heero?" Quatre's worried whisper wafted through the still darkness.
"We have no choice. We must destroy SoulShriek. . .and her pilot."
The fluorescent lights glared in the kitchen. Duo's knuckles were white with strain as he held a coffee cup in his death tight grip. "She's in trouble, really bad trouble, I can feel it. I. . .I can't explain it."
The rest of the pilots sat around the kitchen table they once sat at earlier that day. Fortune sat looking at the floor. She opened and closed her mouth several times, as if testing the words she were to say.
"I. . I think she's okay. She's alive."
Duo swung around at Fortune, violet eyes brimming with fire and hate. "She went because of you. I knew it. You were in cahoots with Trieze Khushrenada. She went to kill him I think, and failed. How could you let her go? How could you!"
"Duo, how could I not! She threatened to kill me with her bare hands. I have seen her do it! I didn't mean to have her captured, killed, or worse. You know damn welled I didn't mean it."
"That doesn't matter anymore." Quatre's quiet voice interjected and stopped the potential fight from erupting. "Now, our only priority is to get her back." He turned to Fortune. "As for you, we don't care what happened between you and Trieze. That is all in the past." His gaze softened and he caressed the top of her hair. "Now, it's time to only look into the future."
Fortune looked up at him and smiled. "You're right. We have to find where she is and how to get her back."
Suddenly, a phone ring reverberated through the safehouse, startling all the pilots. The nervously looked at each other. That hadn't rang since the scientists last checked up on them, four maybe five weeks ago. The all filed out to the hangar where the only phone and comlink in the safehouse was.
Heero picked it up, with the rest of them huddled loosely behind him. "This is OZ checkpoint Omega-385. What is you status."
A rich deep-throated chuckle sounded through the hangar, giving everyone a chill. "Oh my. . .I never knew you were so clever. Oz checkpoint indeed. This is Trieze Khushrenada, leader and general of the OZ armies."
Quatre's face paled. Duo sucked in a breath. Heero's eyebrows furrowed and a slight tremor went through the perfect solider.
"Oh, please, may I have a visual? I would just love to see the faces of my most respected enemies. . ."
Heero glanced at the group for a decision. Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei nodded silently at him. Heero pressed the button and the console lit up and came to life.
There was a man with the palest skin any of them had seen. His eyes were a crystal glass blue, save for a slight redness. His hair was in a disarray. He smiled slightly, the very outside corners of his mouth up turned.
"Ah, for the first time, I can have faces with the gundams." His eyes seemed to look at each of them, scrutinizing. His gaze rested on Fortune. "Fortune, my dear. How are you doing? Your life faring well?"
Fortune turned her head. "Yes, thank you for asking."
His eyes narrowed as Trieze's voice lowered. "Oh yes. I miss you oh so much. . . .My bed has be so empty, so cold. . ."
"Quiet."
Everyone turned to see Quatre. Bright red and trembling with anger. "How dare you talk to her in that way, like she was a common streetwalker or slave girl for your personal enjoyment." He put a protective arm around her shoulders and gently squeezed. "If she's anybody's, she's mine." The last two words came out in a defensive growl.
Trieze's face clouded in slight disappointment, then lightened. "Very well. Makes no difference to me. . .Follow in your mother's footsteps, eh, Fortune?"
Fortune went pale and sickly gray.
Trieze waved a hand in the air. "No matter. Besides, I have something more pressing to talk to your Gundam pilots about. I have something here you might be interested in. . ."
He half turned out of the screen's range and they saw her. She was still in her black cockpit suit. She seemed to be tied to the chair she sat in. Her normally dark brown skin was ashen and dotted with sweat. Her head lolled about drunkenly. A gash traced it way across her eyebrow.
Duo's eye glittered murderously. "You let her go, Trieze, or so help me. . ."
"What? You're going to kill me? The one who I most cared about it dead, killed by this woman here, so why don't I kill her, Maxwell? The one you care the most about? This is my demand. Come here to my stronghold in Madagascar in three days. Bring only your lovely bodies, and your gundams. Hand them over and I will return her safe and sound. If not. . .she dies. It's your call."
The comlink went dead.
They all stood silent, in the darkened hangar.
"Now, what Heero?" Quatre's worried whisper wafted through the still darkness.
"We have no choice. We must destroy SoulShriek. . .and her pilot."
